Blooms will differ on daylilies from seed

By Neil Sperry :
August 16, 2013

Q. My Stella d'Oro daylilies produced seedpods. Can I grow more plants from them?

A. They will germinate, and they will give you daylily seedlings. However, they will not be Stella d'Oros. It is a hybrid selection that is propagated by division or by tissue culture (without seeds). Hybrid plants do not reproduce true from their seeds.

Q. I removed a crape myrtle tree and got most of the roots. Now I am getting sprouts coming up in my lawn and flowerbed. How can I deal with them?

A. Because the mother tree is gone, you could apply a broadleafed weedkiller spray specifically to the young sprouts if you can get a clear shot at them with a hand-sprayer. You'll have to be careful, however, if there are other flowers nearby. I'd recommend using a foam rubber paintbrush to apply it only to the crape myrtle sprouts.

Because these have come from larger original roots, the spray may take several applications. I'd probably dig with a sharpshooter spade and remove them immediately after watering. You won't have to cut them more than a couple of times to let them know they're unwanted.

A. Take a sample to a Texas Master Certified Nursery Professional. Ideally you would want the sample to be of 12 or 18 inches of stem with the affected leaves still attached.

Often, when leaves turn yellow or brown and fall, the problem is in the trunk or roots. It could be that a gall insect has affected the ends of some of the branches (no major harm and no remedy), or it could be that lace bugs have attacked the foliage. In the last case, however, the leaves are more of a speckled tan and they do not fall early.

Someone needs to look at a sample of your tree.

Q. How can I control wild grape vines that are growing over our trees and shrubs? If I cut them, they just grow back.

A. There is no herbicide you can apply to grapes and not have it also harm trees and shrubs. The best way is to dig the grapes out entirely. If that's not possible, you can cut the vines off near the ground. Then, drill small holes into the stumps and use an eyedropper to fill the holes with a broadleafed weedkiller. It will soak into the wood of the stump, and it will be carried throughout the root system.

If you have any regrowth, carefully spot-treat it when it's only a few inches tall. Apply the same broadleafed herbicide, taking great patience not to let it drift onto the shrubs' leaves or trunk.

Q. We're from Pennsylvania originally. We wanted nice maples, so we planted several October Glory trees. However, instead of being the red we wanted, they have consistently been yellow. We'd like to find the best red variety for Texas.

A. Drummond red maple is a standard of excellence in Texas. Shantung maple is another. Both are best suited to the eastern half of the state, and both should give nice red fall color reliably.

That said, a reminder that Texas is not noted for fall color like you saw in Pennsylvania. Chinese pistachio and Shumard red oaks are two fairly reliable species to consider beyond the maples, and they're suited to broader parts of the state.

I make it a point to warn people against sticking with plants from the North, when Texas counterparts would fare better.